Rotorua’s Hot Water Beach might not be as famous as the Coromandel’s, but it probably should be! This steaming lake is absolutely spectacular and the most unique hot spring we’ve ever visited.
Unlike other hot water beaches, you won’t need to pack your shovel or come at low tide - the thermal water is accessible whatever the time of day. It is, however, slightly unusual when it comes to temperature, but more on that later!
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Te Rata Bay - Rotorua’s very own hot water beach.
Visiting Te Rata Bay – Hot Water Beach
The hot springs experience
I’d have to say that the lake at Te Rata Bay is probably the most incredible looking hot spring I’ve ever seen. The steam rising from the water reminded me of Frying Pan Lake at Waimangu Volcanic Valley and to be honest, you wouldn’t think you can actually bathe there!
The setting, within the crystal clear water of the lake and surrounded by forest covered headlands is just jaw-dropping and as you can only access it by boat or on foot, it feels remote.
It’s definitely one of the most memorable hot springs experiences I have ever had and an unmissable thing to do in Rotorua.
As I mentioned earlier - contrary to things we read online - you don’t need to visit Hot Water Beach at low tide or dig your own pool. All you need to do is wade into the lake off the western end of the campsite.
The temperature at Hot Water Beach
Hot Water Beach is a unique phenomenon, the steaming areas inside the lake are created by a hot spring that feeds directly into the water. This boiling water is cooled by lake water to create areas that are safe for bathing - although you still need to be wary.
The spring that feeds the lake is constant and the only thing you’ll need to do is find your ideal spot. This can be tricky and is the only thing I didn’t love about Hot Water Beach.
The water from the hot spring is hot - and I mean scalding - so you have to be careful to pick an area where it is sufficiently diluted by the cold lake water (do not go near the water that is flowing in-between the rocks that are siphoning the spring water into the lake).
The rocks mark where the hot water comes from (and it’s seriously hot)
The hot and cold water don’t exactly mix - the hot water rose to the top and the cold water sank to the bottom. It means you have a hot/cold experience at the same time, with the two different layers, but I found that quite novel!
When the wind blows, it can push the hotter water towards you and you have to shift about a bit, but you get used to it. I also wouldn’t recommend digging your feet into the sand either as it gets pretty hot down there too!
Even though the unique situation provides a number of quirks, the beauty of the spot is hard to beat and the unusual nature of it made it feel like a lot of fun!
Swimming
I had originally thought you would be able to swim in the cool lake water and then come towards the steaming area to warm up, but as the water was layered it didn’t really work like that, and I decided not to go too far out in case I got stuck further out and any scalding water blew my way.
Maybe you can swim further away from the spring, but even halfway along the lake near the changing room there was still the layer of hot water, it really is a crazy place!
How long should you spend at the hot springs?
Normally I wouldn’t really write a recommended time as it’s so different from person to person, but the reason I mention it now is due to the way you have to access Hot Water Beach.
Unless you are camping for the night you are going to need to visit by water taxi (assuming you don’t have your own boat!) or hike the 15km Tarawera Trail.
Most people will hike the trail one way and use the water taxi one way, or use the water taxi both ways. If you’re doing this you need to book the boat in advance and therefore you only have a set amount of time.
We spent longer on the walk than planned and ended up with just 45 minutes at the beach. For me this was definitely not long enough, so I’d recommend allowing more time unless you are going to have a look, but not actually go into the water.
It takes a little while to find your perfect spot and then you won’t want to leave (or I didn’t anyway!).
How to get to Hot Water Beach
As mentioned you can only access the beach by boat or on foot. If you walk the trail both ways it’s going to clock in at 30km and around 1100m elevation gain. Plenty of people do this but it was a little too much for us. We were happy to hike one way and then take the 20 minute boat ride back across the lake.
If you’re taking the water taxi one way they will then also drop you back to the Tarawera Trail car park by mini-bus which takes just a few minutes extra.
The water taxi service is run by Totally Tarawera and needs to be booked in advance. The boats are quite small, so I expect they fill up quick on sunny weekends. We paid $30 for a one way journey and it’s $60 for a return (at time of writing).
There were three services a day when we visited in winter but there might be more in the warmer months.
The Tarawera Trail
We’ve got a whole detailed guide on the Tarawera Trail here, but as a brief overview the trail is 15km and gains 570m elevation one way.
The path is in good condition with just a couple of short washed out sections and some bits where it gets a bit overgrown – although it may be less so when the trail gets more use in summer.
The track undulates for most of the walk, with just two short steep climbs. It’s predominantly in the forest but you do get lots of wonderful lake views and the canopy keeps most of the trail shady.
There are several places to stop for a cooling dip in the lake and also two other hot springs you can visit along the way.
The car park for the trail is 11km and roughly a 15 minute drive from Rotorua.
Facilities at Hot Water Beach
There are pit toilets and a changing room at Hot Water Beach, although both were closed when we visited. There were toilets located in two different spots along the Tarawera Trail.
There is also a campsite which must be booked in advance here. You’ll need to carry all rubbish out with you.
The other hot springs along the trail
There are two additional hot springs located along the Tarawera Trail which we detail in this guide. Both are close together at the Te Wairua Stream amenity area, roughly 3.5km back along the trail from the Hot Water Beach Campsite.
There are three ways to get reach them:
1) Walking the full Tarawera Trail and stopping at the springs along the way.
2) Walking from Hot Water Beach Campsite. This is a 3.5km walk (each way) up and over the bluff - the hilliest part of the Tarawera Trail. If you’re staying at Hot Water Beach Campsite, then you’d have to hike over this hump twice!
3) Organise a water taxi. You can let them know that you want to visit the hidden hot springs on the Tarawera Trail. You can ask to be dropped off at these springs and then picked up at Hot Water Beach, meaning you only have to walk 3.5km and climb the bluff once.
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